Peamenüü

The Riigikogu is the parliament of Estonia. Its 101 members are elected at general elections for a term of four years. The Riigikogu passes laws and resolutions, exercises parliamentary supervision and ratifies international agreements.

The Riigikogu has 11 standing committees and 3 select committees. Committees of investigation and study committees are formed to investigate issues of public interest or problems of significant imprtance.

Eight Acts were passed by the last sitting of the eighth session

21.12.2006 / Sitting reviews

The Riigikogu passed with 77 votes in favour the Act on Amendments to § 58 of the Government of the Republic Act (998 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic. The amendment to the Act is connected with the elaboration of the Hobby School Act and its purpose is to replace the Estonian term huvialaharidus with the term huviharidus (hobby education). The Act enters into force on 1 September 2007. Nobody voted against the Act and nobody abstained.

The Riigikogu passed with 73 votes in favour the Hobby School Act (994 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic. The purpose of the Act is to develop further and to regulate the principles of the establishment and organisation of hobby schools governed by local governments, extending the local governments’ right of liability and to make decisions compared to the valid Act. The Act also enables the state to be familiar with the current situation of hobby schools in Estonia, their different forms and the number of children attending. Pursuant to this Act, the Hobby Education School Act is repealed. The Act enters into force on 1 September 2007, excl. § 37 of the Act which enters into force on the day following its publication in the Riigi Teataja. Nobody voted against the Act and nobody abstained.

The Riigikogu passed with 72 votes in favour the Defence Forces Service Act, Income Tax Act and Aliens Act Amendment Act (1005 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic. The general purpose of amendments to the Defence Forces Service Act is to harmonise the requirements of the Defence Forces Service with the requirements valid in NATO, and to solve the problems emerged upon the implementation of the Defence Forces Service Act. The Act makes amendments to the procedure for the call-up of persons eligible to be drafted to military service and for the submission of applications for the postponement of the call to service, stipulated by the relevant Act. The right to issue precepts, the prosecution of persons eligible to be drafted and the provisions on misdemeanours have been specified. The Defence Forces Service Act stipulates the procedure for the compensation of training expenses paid by the state, when leaving the Defence Forces Service or upon refusing to enter into active service after graduating from studies. The amendments to the Defence Forces Service Act brought about the amendments to § 13 of the Income Tax Act and § 1019 of the Aliens Act. The Act enters into force on 1 January 2007. Nobody voted against the Act and nobody abstained.

The Riigikogu passed with 73 votes in favour the State Borders Act Amendment Act (1004 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic. The purpose of the Act is to make the control on the external border more efficient and to ensure good domestic security. The Act obligates the air carriers to submit the data concerning the passengers carried from outside the European Union to Estonia and from Estonia to outside of the European Union. The following data must be submitted: the name and number of a travel document, citizenship, given name and surname; personal identification code or time of birth ( in the absence of the code); the border point for entering or leaving Estonia; the number of the flight, the time of departure and arrival of the aircraft; the total number of passengers and the location of the boarding. The Act enters into force on 1 July 2007. Nobody voted against the Act and nobody abstained.

The Electronic Communications Act and Broadcasting Act Amendment Act (1024 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic, was passed with 75 votes in favour. The purpose of the amendments to the Act is to stipulate the notions “multiplexer” and “multiplexing service”. The Act also establishes specific requirements for rendering multiplexing services and paraphrases the implementing provisions for the transfer to digital broadcasting, introducing the notion of digital broadcasting and the relevant regulation into the Broadcasting Act. Pursuant to the Act, a multiplexer is an equipment, which enables to transform the programmes and transmissions of the broadcasting services and data transmission services into a uniform digital data flow, which will be forwarded to the radio transmitting equipment; multiplexing service is a service of the electronic communications, which enables the owner of a multiplexer to ensure that his (or her) clients have access to changing his/her digital broadcasting programmes and transmissions and data transmission services into a uniform data communication flow and are able to forward them to the radio transmitting equipment. The present Act enters into force on the day following its publication in the Riigi Teataja. Nobody voted against the Act and nobody abstained.

The Riigikogu passed with 81 votes in favour the Basic Schools and Upper Secondary Schools Act and Private Schools Act Amendment Act (1035 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic. Pursuant to amendments to the Act, a school allows a student who is acquiring basic education, to use, free of charge, textbooks, workbooks, work exercise-books and work sheets, necessary for completing the school study programme, and the textbooks necessary for a pupil acquiring general secondary education for completing the school study programme. The present Act enters into force pursuant to general procedure, excl. § 1 (2, 3, 6-9) which enter into force on 1 September 2007. Nobody voted against the Act and nobody abstained.

The Riigikogu passed with 78 votes in favour the Act on Amendments to theVocational Educational Institutions Act and Associated Acts (1016 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic. The need to work out the Act proceeded from a new redaction of the Vocational Educational Institutions Act, which was enforced on 1 January 2006, pursuant to which the two kinds of vocational training available were renamed and new kinds of vocational training were implemented. One of the most important changes in the Act consists of extending the group of the receivers of free school dinners to include students studying new kinds of vocational training. § 1(2) enters into force on 1 January 2008. Nobody voted against the Act and nobody abstained.

The Riigikogu passed with 61 votes in favour the Insurance Activities Act Amendment Act (995 SE), initiated by the Government of the Republic. Pursuant to the amendment to the Act, from 1 January 2007 the requirement for the own funds minimum of insurers is higher than previously, the maximum permitted levels used for calculating the standards of own funds are also increased. According to the amendments, the minimum of own funds of the insurer must be at least 3.2 million Euros, if the insurer has the right to deal with reinsurance, life assurance or the forms of non-life insurance stipulated in § 12 (10-15) of the Insurance Activities Act, and 2.2 million Euros in case of the remaining forms of insurance activities. The Act also obligates the insurance brokers to inform the client individually of the amount of each brokerage, including the amount of the brokerage received from the insurer per intermediated insurance contract. The Act enters into force on the day following its publication in the Riigi Teataja, §§ 21 and 22 (3) enter into force on 1 July 2007. 14 members of the Riigikogu voted against the Act and 4 members of the Riigikogu abstained.

Father Christmas also visited the Riigikogu and forwarded an oral interpellation to the Cultural Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu concerning the organisation of the work of dwarfs. As in previous years, Father Christmas also had presents for all the factions, and all the members of the Riigikogu, who all got a reflector as a present along with a request to be available and visible to everybody before the elections and during this lightless time of the year, and most importantly – to stay alive and well. Father Christmas wished Merry Christmas to the members of the Riigikogu, their families, to the nearest and dearest, their friends and to all the people who love and trust them.